Flower Child
by Luna Jackson
Summary: Luna's normal, human life is turned upside-down when she finds out that one of her parents is a Greek God.
1. Percy Gets Love Letters

The warm sunlight of the summer day flooded through my open window. The breeze flowed in wrapping itself around everything in the room. There was a subtle smell of flowers that seemed to always fill the room. My sketch pad and colored pencils lay scattered across the old wooden floor. The radio was buzzing with music, one song I recognized as "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles, my favorite song. My curly golden blonde hair was wrapped up with a pink elastic band and a white flower was tucked behind my ear.

After running out of ideas for drawings, I had gone to listening to the radio while flipping through a magazine. The colorful pictures of new make-up tips and new clothing trends filled the pages as the sweet smell of perfume was emitted from samples tucked in the pages. I was leaning against my white day bed that was on the same wall as the open window. My window seat was cluttered with old school textbooks, sketch pads, and endless boxes of Crayola crayons. The shear fabric of my window curtain was blown in by the breeze casting the homeless crayons askew on the floor.

As the song ended, I heard a soft thud on my white wooden door. The golden handle twisted and in walked my father. I closed the magazine and smiled up at him.

My father had really bright green eyes and dark brown hair. He wasn't old really, he was about forty. That's not that old, right?

"Good morning!" I said in a cheerful voice.

My father had always been a late riser, but with me always getting up early, I usually woke him up with the music that came from my radio.

"Good morning, Luna!" He yawned as he came into the room farther. "I just wanted to tell you that I've made breakfast, and if you want some food, it's hot."

I smiled up at him.

"Okay."

We ate pancakes, and eggs, but no bacon. We were both vegetarians. I've never eaten anything from an animal and I never will. I've been taught to appreciate nature and not to destroy it like most people in this world do. That's why my father and I had started a small garden in our backyard when I was five. Through the years, it's grown pretty big in size, and now we had all sorts of flowers and fruits and vegetables growing there.

I knew everything there was to no about gardening from my dad. I guess you could call that our bonding time, even though I did most of the planting and watering. My dad said I had a gift for it; that I could grow a hundred flowers wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. When he said that, we both burst into a fit of giggles and he hugged me close to his chest.

He called me his "pomegranate." I used to refuse, saying that I didn't like pomegranates, that there were too many seeds, and they tasted bad. I guess we have a more then a couple of inside jokes. But that's just our relationship, I guess. He was my only parent and the only person I could look up to in life. My father said that when I was born, my mother left. But he never said anything bad about her, that she had "good intentions" and that I looked just like her.

After our breakfast, I had to leave for school. Even if it already felt like summer, it still wasn't. Today was the last day of school. The last day of middle school actually. I grabbed my bamboo fabric messenger bag with "Save the Earth!" and "Be Eco-Friendly!" buttons on it and rushed out the door.

As I came running out of the door, the yellow school bus came to a stop in front of my driveway. I waved "goodbye" to my father and climbed up the dirty bus steps. I saw the first seat that was open and threw but backpack down. I scooted over to the window and turned on my iPod Touch. I hit the "Shuffle" button and "Once Sweet Love" by Sara Bareilles started to play. I chuckled to myself. _Wow, this is the second song by her I've heard today_.

The bus came to a stop again and in walked my best friend, Percy. Percy was the nicest guy at my school, and the only one who actually talked to me. We had all of the same classes, which probably happened because we both have dyslexia and helped each other with homework. He had bright sea green eyes and dark brown almost black hair. He smiled as he saw me and sat down next to me.

"Hey, Luna! What's up?"

"Nothing much, Percy, as always."

We both laughed. That's how all of our conversations start.

"So," said Percy. "Last day of summer, huh? What are you gonna do?"

I thought about that. I didn't really have anything planned.

"Nothing, I guess."

"Awww..." He smiled as he put his arms behind his head. "I'm sure you'll find something to do."

I smiled at him. Percy always seemed to know a way to cheer me up.

"Would you want to come with me to a camp, Luna?" Asked Percy as he sat back up straight again.

"Hmmm… What kind of camp?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, it's really super cool! There's rock climbing, and horse stables, and kayaking, and…" He paused for effect. "Gardening!"

He knew my weak spot oh-to well.

I laughed at him and punched him in the arm.

"Oww!" He faked a dying cry.

We both started laughing as the bus came to a stop in front of our school.

It was a fairly new school. It opened about four years ago and had white walls and blue railings around the second story. All of the kids piled out of the bus as we came out last.

"See yah this afternoon, guys!" Said the bus driver.

He had dark blue eyes and dark blonde hair. He was pretty young, about my dad's age, and super cool. He always lets us eat on the bus and listen to our iPods. Those are the kind of bus driver's that we kids actually respect.

"Okay!" Percy and I called after him as we hoped off the bus.

Percy was pretty popular I guess. Girls were always following him around and it was kind of creepy. They kept coming up to him, giving him love notes with their phone numbers in them and boxes of candy.

After he had about five boxes and seven love notes, I chimed in.

"Sorry I didn't get you anything, Percy." I laughed.

He laughed too.

We walked down the hallway to our first period class: Latin. As we walked in, all of the other kids were sitting on their desks talking and laughing to each other. Our teacher, Mr. Brunner, was sitting behind his desk writing something in a notebook. He stopped as we walked in and looked up.

"Hello, Percy, Luna!"

"Hello, Mr. Brunner!" We both said as we started to take our seats.

"Percy," said Mr. Brunner. "Can I have a word with you?"

I pointed a finger at Percy and mouthed an "Ooo!" like a four year-old child would do if one of their friends told them to "shut up".

Percy laughed and walked up to his desk. I looked down at my binder that was decorated with pictures of flowers and traced the stems up the page.

I looked up at Percy and Mr. Brunner again.

They were staring at me with wide, worried eyes.


	2. I Hit My Head On Saturn

I looked down quickly.

_Why were they starting at me?_ I thought to myself.

Percy walked back to his desk and sat down. His face and eyes had relaxed and he just looked like Percy again.

Except for the fact that Percy didn't talk to me for the rest of the day, I guess my last day of school was pretty good.

All we did was watch movies and eat food the other kids brought in. I had brought my sketch pad and I started to draw random sketches. What had just been a simple few lines of nothingness had turned into a face. Percy's face. His eyes were worried again and Mr. Brunner was in the background standing next to a horse.

_What the heck is this?_ I thought to myself.

I jumped out of my seat and knocked my head a on a low-lying Saturn that was hanging from the ceiling.

"Oww!" I screeched as I rubbed my head.

The stupid Saturn felt like it was made of cement and definitely left an indent in my head.

I realized I must have been sleeping. Curious eyes were staring at me like I was crazy. I sat back in my seat quickly as I wiped away the drool I had apparently left on the wooden desk. Staring at the picture I had just drawn, comforted my mind. It _was_ just random scribbles.

The day finally ended and I packed up all of the things that were left in my locker. I shut it for the last time and trudged off to the bus ramp.

Percy wasn't there.

I tried to let this slide past my mind, but I knew something was wrong. Percy was my best friend. He told me everything! And he never missed the bus…

I grabbed my backpack and ran back into the school I had thought I had just left for good.

The wind whistled past me as I ran through the school. My feet hit the hard cement and I felt like I was getting heavier every step. I paused and bent down, breathing hard.

_I must be insane. _I thought to my self. _Percy's not in trouble, your just being ridiculous._

I looked up suddenly because I thought something had come into my peripheral view.

And what I saw definitely surprised me.

There was a horse running down the hallway. A horse in Walter Middle?

Something in my mind told me to follow it. And I did the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life. I ran after it.

My backpack was on the ground ten feet behind me as I raced to catch up with the horse. I wasn't paying much attention to anything at the moment; and that's when I ran into Percy.

We both went flying backwards with the force of the crash. Percy was the first one up. He was holding a long… sword? I put my hands on the cold cement floor and hoisted my self up, still sitting; still stunned.

"What… the heck… is going on… Percy?"

I finally managed to say the words that had been trapped in my mind though the seconds of stunned silence.

"Look, Luna, I don't have time to explain… WATCH OUT!"

He pushed me out of the way and I came tumbling down the hard, cement steps. With each step, I could hear another rib breaking, another arm breaking, another leg breaking…

I hit the blue railing with a *thud* in a crumpled, broken mess.

Everything was blurry, every part of me was in severe pain, but I fought to keep consciousness. I couldn't slip away into the darkness of sleep. Not when Percy needed my help. But what help was I? I was broken; seriously and completely broken. Not one of my muscles would move. I was drowning into the darkness. It was trying to swallow me whole. But I wouldn't let it. I couldn't let it. I grabbed the blue bar of the railing and somehow managed to prop my back against the railing. Even that slight movement caused me more pain than I could handle.

I yelped in pain. I screamed for someone; anyone. Someone who could make the darkness go away. I waited. I waited for what seemed like hours, even though it was probably only minutes. I looked down trying to breathe in and out slowly. I saw my pants and shirt covered in blood. My arms were blue and purple and my leg was in an angle that wasn't normal for a leg to be in.

I couldn't hang on any longer. The pain was eating me alive. But then I heard it: A voice of an angel. No. It wasn't an angel, it was Percy.

"Luna!" He yelled jumping to my side.

I couldn't make out the expression on his face through the blur in my eyes.

"Percy…?" I managed to say.

"Chiron!" Yelled Percy as he put his arm around my waist.

"Ahh...!" My voice was pained and barely audible.

"CHIRON!" Yelled Percy again more frantically.

"Luna, everything is going to be okay, I promise!"

Just then I heard horse hooves hitting the floor and a familiar voice.

"Percy, what…"

He stopped talking abruptly when he saw my crumpled body against the railing.

"Holy Zeus! Percy, what happened!?"

"Mr. Brunner?" I managed.

"Hush, hush, Child." Said Mr. Brunner with his deep, serious voice.

I heard horse hooves coming down the stairs and there was no a shadow above me.

My vision was getting cloudier. I could hardly make out a face from a tree now.

"My Gods…!" Said Percy as, from what I could see, he ran his fingers through his dark hair in a worried motion.

"She'll be fine if I can just find the… Oh, where in the Hades did I put it?"

"You can't find it! You don't even have pockets! Chiron! Hurry!"

"Ah-hah!" Said Mr. Brunner.

"Now, Luna, can you still here me?"

I managed to croak out some sort of "Ehhheehhh."

"Good, okay, I need you to open your mouth; I'm going to give you some medicine."

I obeyed his command and he fed me what tasted like the funnel cakes my dad and I used to buy at the fair.

I felt immensely better, but the darkness still crept inside of me. My eyes went black. My ears went blank.

The darkness had engulfed me and I was lost forever in a sea of black waves; never to resurface again.

Or so I thought.


	3. I Squeak Like A Mouse

The darkness was, well, dark. No sound, no color, no light. That was until the sun rose, brightening up the dark sea. There was color now, and sounds; sounds I couldn't recognize. I think they were voices.

My eyes flickered open. I drew in a fast gasp, as if breathing for the first time. Curious eyes swam over me.

"Oh, thank the Gods!" Exclaimed Percy.

"What happened?" I asked trying to sit up.

But the pain of my broken bones shot up my spine and I fell back down into a lump.

"You need sleep. Do not try and sit up because it will cause severe pain. You've broken many bones."

I looked up at the owner of the voice I had heard so much in the past year.

"Mr. Brunner?"

"Yes and no." Mr. Brunner started. "I am Mr. Brunner, but that is not my correct name."

"Okay… So what is your real name, Mr. Brunner?"

"My name is Chiron, Activities Director and Trainer of Heroes."

"Activities Director of what?" I looked at him skeptically.

He had been kneeling beside my bed side in an off-white room. But when he stood up, what I saw surprised me. Mr. Brunner, or now known as Chiron, was half horse! From the waste down he had the body of a white stallion. His hooves were a black-brown color and his tail swished in the wind coming from the open window that looked out on a strawberry field.

"You were the horse I saw!" I shouted at him, not thinking before I spoke.

I guess that's what you get when you have ADHD.

He chuckled to himself.

"Yes, I guess you could say that, but I am not a horse, Luna. I am a centaur. I'm sure I taught you this in Latin?"

"Oh, yeah…" I said trying to remember all of his stories of the Greek myths.

"Well, as I was saying, I'm Activities Director of Camp Half-Blood."

I looked up at Percy; he was standing next to the bed with his arms crossed looking down at the floor. He looked down to me when he felt my piercing stare. I was good at that.

"Yes," He confessed. "This is the camp I was talking about this morning."

He looked back down to his shoes; studying the aglets on the laces.

"Okay… umm… I have a few questions?" I asked it like it was a question.

"Go ahead." Encouraged Mr. Brunner/Chiron.

"Okay," I tried to think of a good question to ask to answer most of my questions in one fowl swoop.

"Okay," I started again. "Why did you push me down the stairs, Percy?"

He looked at me again; his sea green eyes were outlined in red and he had a pained expression on his face.

"Look, Luna, I had too. If I didn't the Hydra would have gotten you."

He looked down again, shaking his head and sighing.

"The… Hydra? Like the big dragon thing with a ton of heads, Hydra?"

"Yes, Luna; that Hydra." Said Chiron.

"Okay… So, it's real?" I didn't believe any of this.

"Yes, all of it is real. Everything I have taught you this past year about Greek Mythology is real."

I looked at Percy again.

"Seriously?" I always believed Percy because he would never lie to me; or to anyone for that matter.

"Yeah, all of it."

That took a minute to soak in. But then I thought_ What does this have to do with me?_

"Okay," I said, trying to be strong. "What does all of this have to do with me?"

"Well, now that you believe us, this should be the easy part." Said Chiron brightly.

Percy just scoffed next to me; his eyes still hidden.

"Okay, Luna, do you remember the stories of Perseus and Daedalus?"

"Yes." I said confidently. That was my best class.

"Well, you know how they were called demigods? They were half-human and half-God.

I nodded my head. Oh, crap, I guess my neck was broken too.

"Yes." I squeaked out.

"Well, you are a demigod too. One of your parents is mortal, one is a God."

Okay, this had gone too far. Even my best friend was in on the joke! What kind of sick game is this?

I started laughing which surprised them.

"Okay, guys." I managed between my laughter. "Jokes over."

"This is no joke, Luna." Said Chiron, his face was serious and his eyes looked like he held the world's past.

"Okay… So if you're seriously not joking, then what the heck does this have to do with me?"

"Like I said before, you're a demigod."

"Okay… Well, if one of my parents is a God, then who is it?"

"Well, Percy and I both had our speculations…"

"You mean you knew?" I asked Percy; rage boiling up inside of me like a volcano about to erupt.

"Yes, of course I knew." Said Percy. "It seriously wasn't that hard to figure out; all of the usual signs were there: ADHD, dyslexia."

I sighed. My best friend and Latin teacher new more about me then I knew myself.

"Okay," I started. "So who do you think is my parent?"

"Well, it's got to be one of the female Goddesses seeing as you already have your dad. My guess was Athena. Percy thought it might be Persephone. But then we came to the conclusion it was probably Demeter."

"Demeter?"

I knew her name, but I forgot what she did.

"Yes, Goddess of agriculture, nature, and the seasons."

"Oh, well, I guess that would explain the gardening gene my dad said I had."

"Yes, exactly." Smiled Chiron. "But we did want to try something before you were claimed, just to see if our guess was correct."

He galloped away and came back with a potted rose plant. He placed it on the side table and I looked it over.

"Umm… What am I supposed to do with this?" I questioned.

"Just focus on it, think of the seasons, and nature."

I focused on the plant. Its petals were a dark burgundy red and its stem was a brilliant green. It had no thorns on its stem, which I thought was weird, but I continued to focus. I thought of the seasons: Spring; how all of the flowers and plants seem to just magically know when to start growing again. And then it happened.

Just beside the one rose planted in the pot grew another smaller rose. Its petal were tightly bunched together as it rose now to the middle of the first rose. I kept concentrating. The rose now started to bloom, its petals even more brilliant in color to the first rose. I looked up at Chiron. But he wasn't looking at me. I glanced over to Percy; he wasn't looking at me either. They were both looking above my head.

I bent my neck as far as I could up until it started to ache. Above my head, shining with its very own light, was a flower; a sun flower actually. It had stunning yellow petals and the seeds were a very dark shade of brown in the middle of it.

I looked back to Percy.

"I _so_ called it." He smiled at me.

"All hail, Luna Scenes," Said Chiron "Daughter of Demeter: Goddess of agriculture, nature, and the seasons.


End file.
